New Listing on MegaMall Japan

New Listing

   WA NO SITE　－ 和のサイト

WA NO SITE is a new listing in MegaMall Japan and their store is in Yugawara, Japan.

You must check their "Kakishibu Products" - It is a traditional Persimmon Dye from Heian period and

 it is an amazing substance fermented from the juice of unripe persimmons.

Kakishibu has been used not only for painting and dyeing,  they also have been used for medicine and clarifier in the process of making Sake.  Kakishibu dyed cloth has an anti-bacteria effect and it is

also has waterproof, Insecticide, and Preservative effects as well. 

How to make Kakishibu? -  At the end of the summer, craftmen pick green kaki and crush them.,  put them into a container with water and keep it in there for one week. This is the process of fermenting. Then they press it to get the juice and keep it for 2-3 years.

WA NO SITE carries Kakishibu card case, Cell phone case, Bags.

                                              

They also have variety of traditional Japanese gift items such as kimono bags, Chrimen Handcrafted items,  Handmade accessories, Cell phone straps, Tenugui, Japanese ornaments, Home Accents. and more....

Their website is not desined for overseas customers, but they can share the beauty of Japanese products to the world now.  They wish that all of people who like Japan can enjoy timeless beauty of their products.

Please check their store, today!

http://www.megamalljapan.com/japaneseclothing_accessories.html



                                            

Japan - Popular Sightseeing spots for foreign country people....

                                           
If you have a chance to go to Japan, where would you like to visit?
Tokyo? Kyoto? Nikko? Osaka? Mt Fuji?  etc....

What are things you must have to do in Japan?

Sightseeing?  Shopping?  Experience Shinkan sen(bullet train)? etc...

I just read the article about popular sightseeing spots for foreign country people in Japan.

 No 15 - Meiji Jingu(Meiji Shrine) -Tokyo

              This is very nice place.  It's in middle 
                   of the city.                           

No 14 - Osaka Jo (Osaka Castle) - Osaka

It is the emblem of the power and fortune of Hideyoshi Toyotomi.
I don't think I ever been to Osaka Jo, because I am a Kanto jin : )
"Kanto Jin" means east area of Japanese people.  West area people
calls "Kansai-jin"

No 13- Spa LaQua  -  Tokyo

They have onsen(hot springs), massage places, amusement park, restaurants, shopping town in one place.  - I want to go here....

No 12 - Kiyomizu-dera (Kiyomizu temple) - Kyoto

Kiyomizu-dera was founded in the early Heian period.  The temple

dates back to 798, and its present buildings were constructed in 1633
Kiyomizu-Dera is one of my favorite place in Kyoto.
It's very pretty about this time of the year.

                                                

 No 11 - Ooedo onsen(Ooedo hot springs) - Tokyo

          Onsen (hot springs) theme Park.  There are many kinds of onsen and they also have Suna Buro(Sand

          onsen(see picture).  Restaurants and shops decoration is Edo period theme and you can enjoy whole  
          day with Yukata.   - I never been there, but I would love to go next time when I go back to Japan.

No10 - Universal Studio Japan - Osaka
             Whaaaaaaaaaaat!!  Nanda Kore!! 

No 9 - Spa World - Osaka

This is another onsen theme park.

No 8 - Fushimi Inari Taisha - Kyoto

Fushimi Inari is Shinto Shrine dedicated to the spirit Inari.

It became the object of Imperial patronage during

the early Heian Period (965)
-Famous Torii picture

No 7 - Kinkaku-Ji (Golden Pavilion) - Kyoto                  No 8 - Asakusa - Tokyo

Don't have to say anything - this is very popular place                                     Asakusa is fun!

                           

 No 5 - Disney Sea - Tokyo     -                          

No 4 - Roppongi Hills - Tokyo                                                    No 3 - Pokemon Center - Tokyo

Roppongi  is a party plce, too  : )

    

                                    

                             

                                     


                           NO 2 - Tokyo Disneyland - Tokyo

                           In Tokyo Disneyland, you can even get Ramen in the park.  : )

                                                                                     

          

   No 1 - Tsukiji Fish Market  -Tokyo       

What a surprise!!  I totally thought  more traditional Japanese sightseeing place like Kyoto, Kamakura, Nikko came to top but it wasn't. 

There are 3 onsen places in Top 15.  I guess people are  realizing how much you can relax in onsen or what, but some are themeparks. Not sure how you can relax in those...

Universal Studio, Disney Sea and Tokyo Disneyland?!!  - You know Mickey Mouse speaks Japanese!!  But don't worry, like Peter Pan, Alice, Snow White etc.. they are not Japanese people.(Thank god!) - How about Universal Studio?  Water world show? - Kevin Costner must speak Japanese!  : ) 

Pokemon center?? -Is it still popular even in Japan?

And Tsukiji Fish Market -----Everybody wants to eat real fresh Edomae sushi ^ _ ^

Anyway I realized people's interests are getting changed.
How about you?  - Where do you want to go?

Japanese culture - Nikko, Ieyasu Tokugawa, Toshogu and Hot springs

Nikko is the small town to the north of Tokyo in Tochigi prefecture- which is my hometown.

There is a famous shinto Shrine called "Toshogu". It is dedicated to the kami (spirit) of Ieyasu Tokugawa(d. 1616) who is the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate.  His last wish was "Enshrine my dead body in Mt. Kuno (His hometown in Shizuoka prefecture) for the first year of my death, (Omission) and build a small shrine in Nikko and enshrine me as the God. I will be the guardian of Japan."


In Toshogu, they have a famous "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" symbol.
                                                  
They have a big autumn festival in October in Nikko.
Yabusame is the traditional Japanese archery - an archer on a running horse shoots three special "turnip-headed" arrows successively at three wooden targets.
                                                   
Also Sennin-gyoretsu, the "procession of a thousand warriors", is a huge parade of people dressed in the military garb of the Edo period.  It is shown as the scene of when they moved Ieyasu's spirit from Mt. Kuno(Shizuoka) to Nikko.
                                                     
 In Nikko, there are many nice hot springs as well.  Hot springs are my favorite thing in Japan.
This is the traditional way to enjoy hot springs.
After we do sightseeing, we check in at a hotel or ryokan.

Traditional style room

We enjoy hot springs(Onsen) before dinner.  Of course we don't wear a bathing suit.  : )
They provide small towel, so you can use it to hide there  ^_ ^
We go into onsen a couple of times when we stay.  Maybe it's too hot for foreign country people, but try!
You will be hooked.

Outside bath - Roten buro

Then we eat dinner - most of places serve "Kaiseki Ryori" which is traditional multi-course Japanese dinner.
It is an art form that balances the taste, texture, appearance, and colors of food.  Kaiseki-ryori uses the fresh ingredients of the season and are cooked in ways that enhance the original taste of the ingredients. Each dish is simply seasoned and presented beautifully in nice dinnerware.
                                                    
After we eat dinner, we go back to onsen again.  This is a very relaxing treat for me.  About this time of the year, you can enjoy leaves changing colors when you are in an onsen.   Of course winter is nice too.  Snow and onsen is a very nice conbination, too.
Even Japanese monkies love onsen.  : )

ohh..........  I want to go back to Japan to enjoy onsen, now...   : (

New Listing on MegaMall Japan

   New Listing

                                               Online Sake Cup Shop 

If you love Japanese pottery, you must check out "Online Sake Cup Shop".  They are the only “guinomi (Sake cup)” specialty shop in Japan.   You don't have to travel around Japan to find

beautiful pottery - They offer more than 250 Japanese traditional pottery / porcelain guinomi collection from all over Japan.   This is a great gift for Sake lovers or even if you don't drink sake, you can enjoy this piece of art for your pottery collections. 

                                 

You can find their ads on MegaMall Japan-Pottery section.